Leaders and staff from 12 member cities — 46 participants in all — gathered at Hanbyeok Cultural Center in Jeonju from Friday to Saturday to share reading culture policies and best practices
Jungnang-gu hosted the 2026 Member City Workshop of the National Reading City Council on Friday and Saturday at Hanbyeok Cultural Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, in its capacity as the council's fourth-term chair city.
The National Reading City Council was founded in Jeonju in 2018 to promote a reading culture by sharing best practices among member cities. It now counts 28 member cities, and the workshop drew 46 participants — mayors, district heads and reading culture officials from 12 of those cities.
The two-day program proceeded in five parts: opening remarks by the chair and introductions of member cities, best-practice presentations by outstanding institutions, a special lecture by poet Na Tae-ju titled "Things You Can Only See by Reading," a member city roundtable, and on-site participation in the 9th Jeonju Book Festival. Jeonju and Jungnang-gu each presented their reading culture success stories, and member cities shared the reading policies and projects they are pursuing.
Jungnang-gu introduced its reading culture initiative "Read 1,000 Books Before Starting School" at the workshop. The program supports children aged 5 to 7 in building a reading habit from an early age and has been running in Jungnang-gu for nine consecutive years. More than 700 children have so far completed the 1,000-book challenge.
"Even in an era of cutting-edge science and visual media, books remain a vital medium for passing down humanity's history, culture and wisdom," Jungnang-gu District Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi said. "We will continue to foster exchange so that member cities can share their experiences and cases, collaborate with one another, and build cities that grow through reading."
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